FA Cup Action Heats Up As Chelsea, Aston Villa Progress In Third Round Duels

Chelsea breezed through the FA Cup third-round clash against Championship side Preston, securing a resounding 4-0 victory in just 45 minutes at Stamford Bridge….CONTINUE READING

Despite dominating the match, Chelsea faced a goalless draw in the first half, with Preston holding their ground. In the absence of Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson, who was away with the Senegal national team for the 2023 AFCON preparations, Chelsea unleashed a flurry of goals in the last 32 minutes. Armando Broja netted the opener in the 58th minute, followed by Thiago Silva’s second-half contribution in the 66th minute. Raheem Sterling and Enzo Fernández sealed the win with goals in the 69th and 85th minutes, the latter surrounded by controversy initially ruled offside but later confirmed after an extensive VAR review.

Simultaneously, in another FA Cup third-round fixture involving a Premier League club, Aston Villa secured a late 87th-minute victory against Middlesbrough with Matty Cash’s decisive strike.

Here are the results of the completed FA Cup third-round matches and the teams advancing to the fourth round:

Thursday, January 4:

• Crystal Palace vs. Everton: 0-0 (Replay needed)

Friday, January 5:

• Brentford vs. Wolves: 1-1 (Replay needed)
• Fulham vs. Rotherham: 1-0 (Fulham qualified)
• Tottenham vs. Burnley: 1-0 (Tottenham qualified)

Saturday, January 6:

• Maidstone United vs. Stevenage: 1-0 (Maidstone qualified)
• Coventry vs. Oxford Utd: 6-2 (Coventry qualified)
• Millwall vs. Leicester City: 2-3 (Leicester City qualified)
• AFC Wimbledon vs. Ipswich Town: 1-3 (Ipswich qualified)
• Sunderland vs. Newcastle: 0-3 (Newcastle qualified)
• Watford vs. Chesterfield: 2-1 (Watford qualified)
• Stoke City vs. Brighton: 2-4 (Brighton qualified)
• Gillingham vs. Sheffield United: 0-4 (Sheffield United qualified)
• Blackburn Rovers vs. Cambridge United: 5-2 (Blackburn qualified)
• Newport County vs. Eastleigh: 1-1 (Replay needed)
• Norwich City vs. Bristol Rovers: 1-1 (Replay needed)
• QPR vs. Bournemouth: 2-3 (Bournemouth qualified)
• Plymouth Argyle vs. Sutton United: 3-1 (Plymouth qualified)
• Southampton vs. Walsall: 4-0 (Southampton qualified)
• Hull City vs. Birmingham: 1-1 (Replay needed)
• Sheffield Wednesday vs. Cardiff City: 4-0 (Sheffield qualified)
• Chelsea vs. Preston: 4-0 (Chelsea qualified)
• Swansea vs. Morecambe: 2-0 (Swansea qualified)
• Middlesbrough vs. Aston Villa: 0-1 (Villa qualified)

Upcoming FA Cup third-round games:

Sunday, January 7:

• West Ham vs. Bristol City: 3 p.m.
• Nottingham Forest vs. Blackpool: 3 p.m.
• Luton Town vs. Bolton: 3 p.m.
• Peterborough vs. Leeds United: 3 p.m.
• Shrewsbury vs. Wrexham: 3 p.m.
• West Brom vs. Aldershot Town: 3 p.m.
• Man City vs. Huddersfield: 3 p.m.
• Arsenal vs. Liverpool: 5:30 p.m.

Monday, January 8:

• Wigan Athletic vs. Man United: 9:15 p.m.